Report: Benghazi Whistleblower Is a Democrat...Who Voted for Hillary Clinton & Obama

State Department foreign service officer and former deputy chief of mission in Libya Gregory Hicks testifies before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on May 8, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

Gregory Hicks, the Benghazi whistleblower who said he was "demoted" after challenging the Obama administration's response to the attack, is a registered Democrat who voted for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, according to the Daily Caller.

Hicks voted for Clinton in the 2008 presidential primary, then for Obama in the 2008 general election and again in 2012 -- just weeks after the assault -- attorney Victoria Toensing told the Daily Caller.

Hicks was the No. 2 U.S. official in Libya under slain Ambassador Christopher Stevens. He testified before the House Oversight Committee that he questioned United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice's characterization that the Benghazi attack was sparked by an anti-Islam YouTube video, and now holds the title of foreign affairs officer -- an almost catch-all designation.

“I’ve been effectively demoted from deputy chief of mission,” Hicks said.

The State Department has disputed Hicks' claim that he was demoted, noting that Hicks -- by his own admission -- opted not to return to Libya, and said he holds the same rank and pay as before.

"Since foreign service officer assignments work on annual cycles, by shortening his assignment Mr. Hicks was in the position of finding an 'off-cycle assignment'. In such situations, it is not uncommon to have difficulty finding a suitable assignment for some time," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told The Guardian.

"However, the department worked with him to find a suitable temporary assignment and succeeded. Mr. Hicks still receives the same salary and he has the same employment status and rank as before. Per standard procedure, Mr. Hicks recently submitted a preference list for his next assignment and is under consideration along with other foreign service employees," Ventrell said.

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​Related:

• Dianne Feinstein Says Benghazi Hearing Was Really About Discrediting Hillary Clinton
• Benghazi Whistleblower: I Was ‘Demoted’ After Questioning Susan Rice’s Talking Points